BELGIUM: The King's Terms

For the first time in ten years, the Belgian
people this week heard the voice of their exiled King. In a
seven-minute speech, recorded in Switzerland and put on the radio in
Belgium, Leopold outlined a compromise plan for his return. He asked
that he be recalled to the throne, whereupon he would "temporarily"
cede the royal powers to his 19-year-old son Baudouin. In Brussels
anti-Leopoldists asked: How long is "temporarily"?

The King's speech, written after a conference with Christian Socialist
Premier-designate Paul van Zeeland, was broadcast first in a somewhat
heavy...